Steven in the Underground
by CarnelianRogue
Summary: Once upon a time, two races ruled over Earth. Humans and Monsters. Scared of the power that the monsters held, the humans engaged in war with the monsters, while on the other side of the earth, far away from humans, the crystal gems started fighting the homeworld gems for the right for earth to survive. What if Steven fell instead of Frisk?
1. Finding Frisk and Falling Down

"Now, I'm all for helping people, and I'm all for helping small children, but this one time I was helping a kid, no more than ten, so that they didn't fall down the HUGE hole in the peak of Mt. Ebott. And you know what, Connie?" Steven said, raising his eyebrow at his girlfriend, Connie.

"You fell, Steven. You pulled the kid out of the way, and you fell." Connie replied. She had heard this story many times, but every time Frisk, the child he had pulled out of the way that day, came around, he tells the story. Frisk loves it.

"See, guys it all started when the Crystal Gems and I were on a mission. A mission to save Peridot."

It had been a warm day, and going to save Peridot from Jasper was not something they had been planning on doing. Granted, another chance to get Jasper was a good thing, but chasing after her day after day got exhausting. They had found Jasper, and she had Peridot in her grasp. More like, in a bubble, but hey. There had been a fight, and as they had gotten Jasper down for the count, Steven had bubbled her. They got Peridot, and headed on their merry way. Lion had other ideas though.

Steven hopped on Lion's back, and rode him to the Gems. Lion had used his warping ability, and had taken them to the top of the nearest mountain, where Steven saw a small child, maybe eight or nine, inspecting the hole in the top. They were looking down the hole, and walking around the perimeter.

"Hey! You might want to be careful! You don't want to fall in!" Steven had shouted, and the kid turned to look at him. Steven walked over to the child, and stood next to them.

"That looks like a really long fall, huh?"

The child just nodded. They continued to walk, and Steven followed, watching their feet. They hadn't tripped yet, and Steven was relieved. As they were going to leave however, the child crouched down to pick a flower, and they reached their hand out to Steven, and Lion roared. The kid jumped a bit and lost their balance, and fell backwards, toward the hole in Ebott. Steven, our of reflex, moved forward and pulled the child out of the way, saving them, but putting himself in danger. He told them to go stand by Lion, where it's safe, and they walked over to where Lion was. He turned around when the ground he was standing on gave way, and he fell into the hole. He fell rather quickly, but controlled his emotions so he didn't splat when he reached the bottom. He looked up, and saw the child staring down the hole, and Lion trying to warp, but ending up in the same place.

He fell for a while, and when he reached the bottom, it was night. His feet touched the ground, when he heard laughing.

"Who's there? Can somebody help me? How can I get out?" Steven shouted. There was the sound of static, and then his vision started to get blurry.

"Somebody had to fall down here, Steven. Whether it be you, Frisk, or some other helpless soul who was drawn to this god forsaken place. I'll leave you be, for now. But later? You better be ready to fight a war against a new enemy."

He blacked out on the ground, unaware to time passing around him, and the events taking place outside of the realm of his brain.


	2. Flowey the Frisky Flower (and Goat Mama)

He woke up in a bed of golden flowers, unharmed, but with a headache. Steven looked up, seeing the starry sky through the hole he fell through not too long ago, it filled him with something. It filled him with DETERMINATION.

He got up, and strolled through what looked like a doorway. Walking like there was nothing there, he jumped when a bubbly, shrill voice said, "Howdy!"

He looked around, confused as to who was talking to him.

"Down here." It said again, a little more gruff and irritated sounding. Steven looked at the ground, to see a golden flower, much like the ones in the bed he fell in earlier, but with a face on it. Steven backed away a little, but looked for a gem, making sure it wasn't corrupted. He saw no gem, and no other signs of danger, so he crouched down in front of the flower, and smiled back at it.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

"I'm Steven. Steven the human!"

"A human? Oh wow, you must be new to the underground then! There are probably," it chuckles, "better people here that can teach you how this works, but I guess I'mm have to teach you how things work down here!" Steven quirked an eyebrow at the flower, and sat down to rest his legs.

"The Underground? What's that?" Flowey giggled, and his leaves waved around, like arms.

"That's where you are, silly! Now, things work differently here than they do on the surface."

"Ok...?"

"Now, if you'll allow me to teach you, I am going to confront your SOUL" Steven nodded at Flowey, and stood up. He put his hands by his sides, and stood up as straight as he could. Flowey chuckled at this, but pulled out his SOUL, nonetheless. Or, tried to, anyway. Steven's SOUL felt the pure ill will of the tiny flower, and bubbled Steven. As Flowey got more upset, his expression shifted to something demonic. Steven's eyes widened, and he backed away from Flowey.

"You! You're the reason why the timeline is all messed up now! And now, I can't even do the same things I used to to FRISK! You! You're gonna die, kid! It may not be by me, but it's going to happen! Because you're a HUMAN in a place where they HUNT HUMANS!" Flowey's face looked like it was melting, and by noun Steven's bubble had dropped. Flowey's face shifted into an evil smile, and vines shot up from the ground, and wrapped around Steven's ankles. It pulled on his ankles, until he fell on his bottom, with a hiss of pain. The thorns from Flowey's vines dug into his legs, causing him to bleed. Flowey laughed at him, and started speaking, in the same friendly tone it had used before.

"Now, in this world it's kill or be killed, and a little kid like you ain't got a snowman's chance in hell down here. You'll do your best to get out of my sight as soon as I let you go, got it?" Steven nodded, his eyes tearing up. He felt Flowey's vines release him, and he sprinted through the next doorway, and down the paths as far as he could, before running into a mass of indigo. He raised his arms and backed away, then saw the genuinely surprised look on the persons face. She had the likeness of a goat, and wore an indigo dress, with white sleeves and a white symbol on the chest. She looked down at Steven, then crouched down to his level and looked him in the eye.

"Child, are you hurt?"

"Yeah, there was a flower back there..." he looked at her, and then thought about what the flower said. This woman didn't seem to be malicious, but he never knew what would happen. "And how do I know that you won't hurt me?"

"You do not, but I will tell you this now, I do not mean you ill will, small one. Now, come here, and I will take you to my house so we can patch you up." She held her hand out, and Steven hesitantly took it. She led him through various puzzles, and introduced her to many of the monsters that resided in the underground. They arrived at the woman's house, which smelled like cinnamon, butterscotch, and... Snails? She led him to the table in what looked like the living room, and sat him on it, before going to get a first aid kit. She came back, and smiled at him before talking to him. "Forgive me for not telling you my name, young one. I am Toriel, the caretaker of the Ruins."

"I'm Steven. I'm part of the Crystal Gems."

"That explains why you are not as beat up as the other humans that have came through here." Steven's eyes lit up like stars, and Toriel looked up at him. She laughed and lifted him off of the table.

"Now, I remember the Crystal Gems from before the war, and how they came out as big as they were ever going to be, as well as them having their gems name. So, may I ask, why is your name Steven, and why do you resemble a human child?"

"I'm only half gem, my mom was Rose Quartz. My mom named me Steven." She looked at him, with sadness in her eyes, and she knelt down to his height. She took him into a hug, and her fur smelled flowery.

"I am sure that she loved you very much, Steven. Such as I will while you stay here." Steven pulled away from the embrace, and looked at Toriel, bewildered by what she was saying.

"What do you mean, while I stay here? I've gotta go home, to Pearl, and Garnet, and Amethyst, and Peridot, not to mention Jasper and Lapis... And my dad will be SO worried about me! Miss Toriel, I really need to get home, and fast!"

"Steven. The underground is a place that seeks vengeance at every corner. The monsters in the rest of the underground will not hesitate to kill you, my child. You must stay here, for if you leave... You may never see any of the Crystal Gems again." She stood up, and looked down at him, then smiled. She ruffled his hair, and walked off to the kitchen.

He explored the house, looking on bookshelves, in potted plants, drawers, and in the bedrooms. He set his phone on the bed Toriel told him was his, and he looked through the joke book that Toriel was writing. It was when he looked in the mirror, that he could tell that something was up, for it was not him that was in the mirror.

 _ **It was a Demon.**_


	3. The Demon That Comes When You Call

Steven jumped, and rubbed his eyes a bit. He looked back at the mirror, and saw his own reflection. He narrowed his eyes, and went to look at the mirror. It was definitely a mirror, not some one way glass, and it didn't seem to have any magical properties, or a gem inlaid in it. He walked to his room, and laid down for a bit. He fell asleep after a while, dreaming about going on adventures with the Gems, and eating loads of pie.

The last dream he had though, was a peculiar one.

Steven seemed to be in a place he didn't recognize. A place devoid of light, with pressure coming from all sides. He felt like he was suffocating, but he could tell he was breathing. He looked around, searching for any signs of life aside from himself. Walking around, he found a small child, who looked an awful lot like the one he pushed out of the way, but with lighter hair and skin, as well as a different sweater. He started to talk with the child, and they conversed with him, answering most of his questions with questions, and dodging certain questions. The only information Steven could get out of them was their name. Chara.

"But Steven, if I may ask, why are you here?" Chara asked, their voice teasing him.

"The thing is, I have no clue why I'm here, but I do know that I want to leave." Steven replied, scratching the back of his head. Chara then stood up, and looked him in the eye, finally. Their eyes were red, and suddenly he remembered.

Chara was the demon he saw in the mirror.

"That's right, Steven. I'm Chara. The demon that comes when you call it's name." Steven's eyes widened in terror. Demons weren't good, which was normally a given but the fact that this one looked like a human... It made him sick to his stomach. He turned on his heel and ran as fast as he couldn't away from Chara.

But Chara appeared right in front of him. He skidded to a stop, and fell on his butt. Covering his eyes he pleaded, "Chara, please! Just leave me be! What did I ever do to you?" He cried, and begged for them to let him go, to leave him be, but to no avail. Chara pinned Steven to the ground, and stared into his SOUL.

"You'll never be able to leaven now. You risked your own life to save Frisk's, and now... You'll be stuck here with me forever."

Steven looked at Chara in surprise, but he knew deep down in the core if his being that doing this dance with Chara, over and over again, was something he wouldn't put up with. He knew that he wanted to be free from the underground, and never get ensnared in Chara's web...

And then, he was filled with DETERMINATION. He threw Chara off of himself, and produced his shield. He thought of all his friends back home, and realized.

He was dreaming this whole time.

Steven woke up in a cold sweat, and to the sight of pie. It smelled sweet, with a hint of spice. He took it, and the plate it was on, out of the room, and out tie where Toriel was sitting, in her reading chair. She was reading a book.

"Hey Toriel?" Steven said, speaking up to get her attention.

"Yes, my child?"

"Did you make this pie?"

"Yes, child. It has magical healing properties, as it is monster food. It would probably be best if you ate it now, as it will get cold if left out for too long."

"Is there a container I could put it in?"

"Why do you ask?"

"In case I get hurt on the way out of the underground."

"But you will not be leaving the underground. It is far too dangerous for a human, even if you are half gem."

"I need to get back to the Crystal Gems! They'll be worried sick about me, and won't know where to find me!"

"But you could die out there! It is very dangerous, and monsters will be out for your SOUL!"

"How do you know they'll be out for my SOUL?"

"Because they only need one more in order to break the barrier, to release all monsters from this horrible prison your kind put us in!"

Steven looked at Toriel in shock, as tears ran down her furry cheeks. He hugged her tight, and she hugged him back. She apologized for her outburst, and he, for being so pushy.

"I just fear for your safety, young one. I do not want you to get hurt, or die by the hands of the race I once knew so well. I want you to live a long life, and I know that here, you'll be able to. You should sta-"

"But staying here wouldn't be good for me, Toriel. It might keep me alive, but eventually I'll want to leave. I'm fourteen now, and it wouldn't be much longer until I'm not a kid, and you wouldn't be able to keep me here. So Toriel, let me leave, and maybe, just maybe..." He looked at her with something she hadn't seen for a long time, something that reminded her of someone she thought of as her child.

"I could get you out of this place."


	4. Snowdin Is that a pun?

Toriel let him leave, in the end, but insisted on preparing him to the T. She supplied him with a backpack, which was functional, but definitely not cheeseburger shaped, as well as a coat, gloves, a hat, boots, and the container that had the slice of pie in it. She kissed him on the head, tears in her eyes, as she let him go into the big underground, pretty much by himself.

"Steven, if I let you go, you must promise me something."

"Of course, Toriel! Anything!"

"You must not come back here, at least until your journey is complete. Do not harm a monster, or your SOUL will be tainted, and last of all, be good, Steven. Your soul is pure, and I know that you will do what you believe is best."

"Yes ma'am!"

"And there is a friend I have in Snowdin. He loves to tell jokes, and he should be able to protect you. I will miss you a lot, Steven. Please, remember what I have told."

He nodded, and Toriel started to prepare him for the road ahead.

He waved goodbye, and marched through the doorway. He was met with a room, much like the room where he encountered Flowey. He walked through, when something wrapped around his ankles, and made him lose his balance. Before he knew it, he had a faceful of dirt, and an evil flower next to his head. He lifted his head, and saw Flowey, bright-eyed and bouncy.

"Wow, you musta' reeeeaaaaally wanted to save her, keeping Chara out of your head like that"

"What do you mean, keeping Chara out of my head?"

"You can't tell me you didn't even have the urge to kill her? No wanting to cut her open, or watch her dust fall to the ground? To hear the anguished cries of someone who just wanted to protect you? Or was it the happy words of a mother who will finally get to see her lost children?"

Steven stood and sprinted as fast as he could, out the other doorway, and into the snow covered forest. He quickly tugged the doors shut behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked around at his surroundings.

'Wow, these trees are really tall', he thought, walking along the path. There was a click to his side, and he turned to look at a bush. There was a camera inside. Steven tapped the camera, and then smiled into it, paying no mind to how weird it was. He continued to walk down the path, when he saw a branch along the path. He stepped over it, and considered trying to move it, but deduced that it was simply too heavy. He drug his feet in the snow, kicking it into the air, picking it up and throwing it above his head, when he heard a loud snap. He looked back, and the branch was split in half. Steven jumped, and picked up his pace. Toriel was right, he should have stayed in the Ruins with her, it would've been much safer. There was a gate, with bars too wide to stop anybody, and Steven stopped when he reached the bridge that they were supposed to be barricading. There was a presence looming behind him, and his hair stood on end. He knew that he probably should have gotten away while he had the chance, but he couldn't move his legs.

"D o n ' ?" The person behind Steven said. Steven jumped again, fear growing in his stomach. He so badly wanted to get out of there, but something was holding him in place. The presence chuckled, lightheartedly.

" d"

There was something urging Steven to turn around, and he did, but there was nobody there. He spun around, looking for whoever was talking to him, but no one seemed to be around him, at all. He hung his head, when there was a tap on his shoulder. Steven jumped, higher than he had during this whole ordeal, and quickly spun around. Someone, or something grabbed his hand, and something vibrated in between their hands.

It was a whoopee cushion.

Steven laughed, nervously, while the skeletal figure laughed like there was no tomorrow. Its eye sockets were closed, and it seemed to be talking.

"Geez, kiddo, you seem to be jumpy this time around! I know you like to act surprised, but this was really good! No bones about it!"

"What do you mean this time?" Steven asked, hoping to get an actual answer out of somebody. He was genuinely confused as to what this this time means, and he wanted an answer to his question, dammit! The skeleton looked up at him, fear on its face. It seemed to be searching his eyes for something, and when it wasn't found, the hood came off, and its eye sockets narrowed.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Steven... I came from the Ruins..."

"I figured that much. Was there... Another human with you when you fell?"

"No, but there was a kid at the opening of the peak of the mountain. I pulled them away and fell in myself..."

"Are you sure that they didn't fall in after you?"

"No, they were taken to my family so they were safe." The skeleton straightened up, and stuck its hand out again.

"Sorry about that, kid. I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton." Steven shook his hand again, and followed him when he started to walk. They stopped in front of some sort of stand, with an oddly shaped lamp. Sans spun him to face the station. Steven saw a skeletal finger point toward the station, and he was pushed toward it.

"Run. Unless you like being captured, which hey, isn't my place to criticize. People like you are the reason we only need one more SOUL."

Steven jogged toward the stand, and dove behind it. There were fast footsteps, and then a loud voice.

"Brother, why are you slacking off? And why are there condiments on your sentry station? "

"Heh. I dunno Papyrus, I guess I just don't have the means to ketchup to your skills"

There was a loud groan, and the sound of snow being crushed.

"Brother! Now. Is. Not. The. Time! It has been eight days and you still. Haven't. Recalibrated. Your. Puzzles!"

"Puzzles, shmuzzles. I don't need to, because I know where a human is."

"Oh. Carry on, then. I will prepare my puzzles."

The footsteps went away from the area, and Sans poked his head over the sentry station.

"Coast is clear, bucko."

"Thanks, Sans." Steven got up, his butt soaked from the snow, and walked around to stand next to Sans.

"So, uh... Who exactly was that?"

"My brother, Papyrus. Aspiring to be part of the royal guard. But he has to capture a human first, and I doubt that he knows what ASGORE does to humans."

"I don't wanna die, Sans"

"I know kiddo, nobody should want to die." Sans muttered, strolling away. Steven followed him, not knowing what else to do. There was a fork in the road in the next area. There was also a star-shaled thing. Steven reached out, and brushed it with his fingers.

FILE SAVED.


	5. Strong, in the Papyrus way?

Steven shuddered, and quickly pulled away from whatever that thing was. He examined the area, and decided to take a left. Walking down the path, he noticed that there was a snowman.

"Hello there, traveler!" Exclaimed the snowman, in an excited way. Steven looked at in in surprise, and replied with a quiet hello. The snowman didn't move, but the bubbly voice rang out from within the snow statue, as if it had been simply infused with magic.

"I have a request to make of you, young man!" Steven quirked an eyebrow at the snowman, and looked into their black coal eyes. "You see, I am but a snowman, and being a snowman means that I cannot travel in... Conventional ways. I ask that you take a small piece of me with you, and take it many places. You may bring it back when your journey is over." They requested something very simple of him. Take a piece of him, and let it see the world, or at least, the underground. He took a button, and put it in the bag that Toriel had given him. Placing the backpack in its resting spot on his back, he waved goodbye to the friendly snowman. He walked back to the clearing, and noticed a box.

'Hello there, this is a note from a box lover!' He read the bubbly handwriting, and decided that he should open the envelope that held the note.

'This is not just any ordinary box, like one that you'd find in a house, it is a magical box! You put an item in, and it is stored there until the next box! In the next box, you will find the items you had put in the previous one! I left you a little something as a thanks for reading my note!

~Taiga'

He looked inside the envelope, and found 20G. He stuffed it into the front pouch of his backpack, and debated on putting something else in there. The butterscotch pie was a perfect candidate, and he put the tupperware containing the pie in the box, and gave it an affectionate pat. The box shut after putting his item in, and it made Steven jump. He zipped his backpack up and scurried down the path, into new territory. Behind him, there was a mid height male and a short female chuckling. A snowdrake gave them a look, and the male disappeared, as the female walked away, still laughing.

Steven continued walking for a minute or so, until he spotted Papyrus and Sans. He made eye contact with Sans, and they waved to each other. Yelling could be heard from Papyrus, which was cut short by Sans turning the taller ones skull from looking at Sans, to looking at Steven. The instantaneous reaction was hilarious, and Steven doubled over in laughter. Papyrus jogged over, and with his long legs, got there quickly. He hoisted Steven over his shoulder, and Steven's gem clanked against Papyrus's armor. He shot Sans a distressed look, and Sans shrugged and chuckled. Papyrus ran off, and Sans walked the other way. Steven yelled for help, but soon, Sans was out of sight. Papyrus harshly set him down, and spun him to face some sort of puzzle?

It was just a word search. He folded it neatly, and put it in his bag for later use, when he has a writing utensil. Sans was standing in front of him when he looked up, and he jumped. Sans started laughing, when Papyrus picked Sans up and set him to the side. He looked at Steven with a burning intensity, then patted his head a few times.

"Sans! I knew that the word search would not work! You should have used junior jumble instead!" Papyrus yells. Sans shrugged, and took out the Junior Jumble instead. He laid it where the word search was, and turned to look at Steven.

"You got the easy one, kid." Sans said, rubbing Steven's hair. He looked into Steven's eyes, like he was looking into his SOUL, then smiled... More?

"Yes, human! The next puzzle will be much more complex, much more suited to you!" Papyrus exclaimed, and he walked off with Sans, scolding him about how his puzzle was much too easy. Steven shuddered, and followed after them. He came across a stand, much like the one that he had hid in, and a bell rung. Steven jumped back when a dog came out of the stand, eyes swinging from side to side.

"Don't move an inch!" It said.

Steven felt a tugging feeling in his chest, and he raced to cover himself up. A cartoony heart popped out of his chest, and he felt empty. The world flashed around him, and all that was left was him, and the dog monster. A name hovered over the dogs head, and Steven saw what looked like a stats bar next to him, and what he now knew was Doggo.

LV:1 HP: 40/40 ITEM: N/A

"H-hi, I'm Steven! You're Doggo, right?" Steven waved at Doggo, and his eyes lit up. Doggo focused on Steven's general location, and conjured up two swords, with a blue aura. He swung it, and Steven brought his arms up to defend himself, then remembered that Doggo was too far away to do real damage. He relaxed, and saw translucent blue swords hurling right for him. He attempted to dodge, and his arm got hit by one. His SOUL flashed.

"Please, I don't want to fight you!" Steven yelled, his eyes tearing up.

HP: 34/40

He endured attack after attack, and he could only take one more attack. On the brink of death, he stayed put, willing to give himself for whatever the monsters needed, since he couldn't get out of this alive. The swords had gotten unavoidable, so Steven accepted what it was.

It was over. As the wave of swords flew towards him, he shut his eyes, thinking of his friends back in beach city.

But the swords phased through him.

He stayed silent as Doggo crept back into the sentry station, then ran for it. He got tired, and his pace started slowing. Only thinking about getting there, he kept walking down the path, until he collapsed.

Right in front of Sans.

"Brother, has the human gotten here yet?"

"Y-yeah paps, but I doubt that he's gonna be able to do your puzzles..."

"And why might that b... Oh." Papyrus trailed off, and started shaking nervously. He looked at Sans, and Sans shrugged. Papyrus picked Steven up carefully, and went as fast as he could, toward Snowdin town.

"Don't shake 'im too much, Paps"

Papyrus gave an affirmative nod. He reached his house quicker than normal, and set Steven on the couch. Steven's breathing got quicker as the dust settled, and Sans got some monster food. He unwrapped it and put it in Steven's mouth, forcing him to chew and swallow. Papyrus sat by for a while, then went back outside.

"I have to go report to Undyne, brother"

"What'cha gonna tell her?"

"Nothing. Undyne won't know that there is a human here, unless he goes to find her himself."

"Ok, be careful."

"When am I not? I am very great, you know." Sans waved, and Papyrus shut the door, quickly walking to waterfall to give Undyne his daily report.

Sans looked over Steven, more confused than worried.

HP: 15/40

Sans chuckled.

"You sure are somethin', kiddo"


End file.
